Ex-TSA Supervisor Gets Prison for Stealing From Passengers

A former Transportation Security Administration supervisor at Newark International Airport was sentenced to 30 months in prison Tuesday for accepting bribes and kickbacks from a coworker who allegedly stole money regularly from passengers during security screenings.

Michael Arato, 42 years old, of Ewing, N.J., had previously pleaded guilty on the charges.

When Arato was the supervisor at a security checkpoint inside Newark’s Terminal B between September 2009 to October 2010, he allowed a subordinate to steal between $10,000 and $30,000 in cash from travelers, according to documents and statements made in court. In exchange, the subordinate would “kick up” a portion of the stolen money to Arato, the U.S. Attorney’s Office for New Jersey said.

Video surveillance captured Arato accepting about $3,100 in bribes from the subordinate in the furtherance of the scheme. Arato also admitted he regularly stole from passengers traveling through his checkpoint.